Black Friday Blues

Nobody Wonders…

Why ANYONE in their right mind would go shopping on Black Friday at Wal-Mart?

And yet, millions put down their forks and scarf down mom’s pumpkin pie early in the morning just so that they can be first in line when the Black Friday Sales start.

My husband and I went into Wal-Mart around 11p.m today. It was pretty empty. But somebody had been working hard overnight to stock all the sale items onto the aisles. Sales that…were certainly not worth standing in line for an hour to buy. But, AMAZINLY people will stand in line for TVs, or a toy that they know their kid want for Christmas.

If they save $50 dollars they feel like they’ve REALLY done something great. Really, just pay the $50 and go at a less crowded time.

I don’t understand it.

For instance: There was Tupperware set, boxes and boxes of them on sale. It usually sold for $19.00 and was on sale for $7.99. REALLY? Who doesn’t have Tupperware already? And then I think: more than I might know.

I often ask myself, if Wal-Mart was selling one of those $300 dollar mixers for $100.00 would I too stand in line for it?

Would I risk getting a disease from South America, or bruises from a kicked shin? Would I stand in line for hours just to get to the kitchen aisle and see they were all sold out?

My mixer bit the dust years ago. I’ve been using a hand mixer, which works just fine. The other day, I saw a mixer with a bowl for $24.00. Sure, you have to turn the bowl yourself, it’s certainly not for someone who spends hours every day cooking, but that’s not me. I bought it and couldn’t be happier.

Think about it: You rarely have to mix anything more than 5 minutes. How hard it that?

When my hand breaks and I can’t turn the bowl any longer, there’s always TV dinners.

And you know what? Even if I DID cook every day, I really think those mixers are way overpriced. China truly is ripping us off.

Another pet peeve of mine is the new America sales scam:

Like—SALE! 50% off! Was $250.00, now only $150.00!

Which is the price it normally is, if you shop at the store and know. And they do this with clothes, appliances, well, just about everything.

I call it the, “You think you are saving money, but you’re NOT!” scam.

Are any of the companies reprimanded for false advertising? No.

Or how about the “Buy one get one half off!” (Or free as the Clintons used to say.)

(In Clinton’s case, we will be paying for them, the rest of our lives.)

Trust me, you are paying for both.

But people fall for these scams. Woman especially LOVE to brag how they got something, ANYTHING, on sale. As if, that makes them special. As IF, that makes them smart.

As if.

Still, the economy is SO bad, inflation and the price of food SO high, that the luxuries that you can’t afford go on sale just one day a year…you’d better be there.

For some people, that truly is the norm. And to have these sales one day a week, is…close to cruel. People go wild. They get all excited, like they are drunk with anticipation. It’s social engineering at it’s finest. They make you WANT it. DESIRE IT.

And while I’m ranting about people standing in line to get bargains, I actually am guilty of that:

Today my family stood in line for over an hour to eat Thanksgiving Dinner at Cracker Barrel. It was great, reasonably priced, and best yet: no dishes. What’s great about Cracker Barrel, they have a store that you can amuse yourself with while you’re waiting.

There’s nothing like a home-cooked Thanksgiving turkey dinner, don’t get me wrong. But, what’s most important is to spend time with those you love.

About

I am a nobody. If the different classes of America were color-coded, I would be in the yucky brown, one rung up from the bottom. I grew up in Naples, Florida and live near the Mississippi River now with my husband and two dogs. I am part of the slowly disappearing middle-class. I was a musician most of my life: drummer/singer/keyboards—but I retired before the plastic surgery flu hit. I have no degrees, which could be a good thing…depending on how you view our educational system. I do have three patents…but that really doesn’t make me a somebody. The one thing that is constant in my life is my OPINIONS, which i have more than perhaps even Carl Sagan could have imagined…mostly political. (yes…my ancestors were crabby buggers)

Hopefully other nobody’s will put their opinions on my site. But, if you happen to be a somebody, you’re more than welcomed to help out.